These 12 metro Phoenix boba cafes host events for fandoms of BTS to Taylor Swift
In the past, if you were looking to meet new friends who were interested in the same music or pop culture icons, options were limited. You could seek out internet forums or wait for your favorite band to play a concert in your city. But nowadays, fans have found a new way to connect by hosting and attending cup sleeve events.
Cup sleeve events gained popularity in the U.S. in 2019, when fans of the K-pop group BTS worked with local businesses to host fan events based on the ones taking place in South Korea. The events were usually timed to celebrate idols' birthdays or major milestones.
Since Phoenix's first cup sleeve event in September 2019, which was a joint birthday celebration for two BTS members, fandom-related events at boba tea shops have become a trend all over Arizona, hosting fans of everything from K-pop to anime to video games.
If you're looking to connect with a fandom, these are the metro Phoenix cafes that regularly host cup sleeve events.
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Boba Cutea
Boba Cutea practically has its own fandom, with lots of cat-themed merchandise available at its multiple locations. They also host tea party events for franchises like Star Wars and Disney princesses, in addition to occasional K-pop celebrations.
Details: 1805 E. Elliot Road, Suite 106, Tempe. 480-306-7676. Additional locations at bobacutea.com.
Boba Tealight
Boba Tealight's beautifully Instagrammable shop is a great spot to study, meet up with friends or celebrate K-pop with other like-minded fans. They offer an enormous selection of teas as well as popcorn chicken, dumplings and rice paper salad.
Details: 1435 E. Warner Road, Suite B101, Gilbert. 480-788-7117, bobatealight.com.
Cha Tea and Lina's Macarons
Cha Tea in Mesa has been the host of several cup sleeve events in the past, mostly celebrating album releases or birthdays for K-pop group members.
But even if there's no cup sleeve event scheduled on the day you visit, Cha Tea is also the permanent home of Lina's Macarons, which sells cute character-shaped cookies from Sanrio, Pokémon, Disney, BT21 and more. Her macarons make for adorable drink toppers for those who want to transform any boba tea into an Instagram-worthy fandom treat.
Details: 1911 W. Main St., Suite 4-5, Mesa. 480-534-1251, chateaboba.com.
Fire Tiger Dessert Cafe
The first-ever U.S. location of the international Fire Tiger chain opened in October 2022 in Mesa. And just two months later, the boba shop held its first fandom cup sleeve event.
The chain is internationally famous for its brown sugar boba drinks.
Details: 111 S. Dobson Road, Suite 108, Mesa. 623-255-5999, firetigerus.com.
Frostails
Frostails is a Korean dessert shop best known for serving bingsu, a Korean shaved ice treat with toppings like fruit and syrup. Its location at the Verde at Cooley Station in Gilbert makes for especially fun and interactive events due to the grassy park and permanent stage right outside, which fans have used for K-pop dance cover performances.
Details: 2472 S. Recker Road, Suite 106, Gilbert. 602-492-5590, facebook.com/frostails.
Mango Rabbit
Mango Rabbit hosts events almost every single weekend, so much so that the cafe has become nearly synonymous with fandom. Recent music-related events include K-pop groups like BTS and BlackPink plus other musicians like Taylor Swift. On other weekends, anime fans show up in full cosplay, and parents take their kids to events themed around video games like Super Smash Bros. and Pokémon.
Details: 1250 E. Apache Blvd., Unit 112, Tempe. 480-912-6283, mangorabbitboba.com.
Polba Tea
Polba Tea's specialty is fresh fruit tea. That, and hosting cup sleeve events. Check their Instagram page (@polbatea.az) for event dates.
Details: 2040 S. Alma School Road, Chandler. 480-963-9767, polbatea.com.
Tan-Cha
Tan-Cha opened in June 2023 and was immediately welcomed by the Arizona K-pop fan community with a cup sleeve event celebrating BTS just a month later.
Details: 1751 E. Broadway Road, Tempe. tanchabobatea.com.
Tastea
If you want to attend a K-pop fan event that's more akin to a farmers' market in scale, Tastea Glendale is your place. Be sure to check social media pages like @azspecialtea for dates when the parking lot will be transformed into the monthly night market with dancing, photocard trading and over a dozen vendors.
Details: 9184 W. Northern Ave., Suite 105, Glendale. 623-349-7775, gotastea.com.
Teazona
Teazona's inviting atmosphere and great drinks make for a fun spot for a boba run any time. It has also been the site of fan-hosted birthday parties for celebrities like BTS and Pedro Pascal.
Details: 4316 E. Cactus Road, Phoenix. 602-354-8830, teazonaaz.com.
Xing Fu Tang
Not only does Xing Fu Tang make some of the tastiest boba drinks in metro Phoenix, but they also host some of the best cup sleeve events. A large outdoor gathering space right outside the shop invites vendors to comfortably set up tables with ample space for fans to move around and hang out with friends.
Details: 805 N. Dobson Road, Suite 106, Mesa. xingfutangaz.com.
Zero One Ice
Since Zero One Ice opened in Glendale in April, the shop has helped bring fandom celebrations to the West Valley with cup sleeve events for K-pop groups like Stray Kids, ITZY, Ateez and Enhypen, plus anime like Bleach and Attack on Titan.
Details: 5830 W. Thunderbird Road, Suite B-11, Glendale. 602-612-3239, zerooneice.com.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 12 metro Phoenix cafes where you can drink boba and meet other fans
